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  • Friday, 12 Apr, 2019,
  • by Greyhound Racing Victoria

Facebook Live; your APM questions answered

From 1 March 2019, GRV introduced Aged Prize Money (APM) meetings to better align Victoria’s racing schedule with the current racing population.

To cater for the decreasing numbers at Level 2 (Provincial) race meetings but increased demand for Level 3 (Tier 3) GRV altered the racing program to balance this demand.

Tier 3 grading was introduced to give greyhounds with lesser ability the opportunity to compete competitively. But as the racing population’s demands changed, so did the need for our racing schedule.

With the current racing population, Tier 3 racing has a number of restrictions. Although this is a popular form, there were a limited number of meetings scheduled per week. This meant an average of 150 nominations per week missing a regular start.

With the current low racing population, changes needed to be made to increase nominations at Level 2 and better distribute the meeting structure across the weekly program.

The introduction of APM meetings at all Level 3 meetings was to simplify the grading system and to provide more opportunities for lower level greyhounds.

Below is a list of common queries about Level 3 APM meetings;

Q) My greyhound is Tier 3 eligible and now ineligible for Level 3 APM meetings

Previously 65-70% of the active Victorian greyhound racing population were eligible for Tier 3 racing when only 30% of meetings were at Level 3. With the declining population, GRV identified that there were about 30-40 dogs on average that would be affected from each Level 3 meeting (Half Stakes), and due to their APM value, they will still continue to race against similar dogs – just in Level 2 meetings.

The aim of this change is to boost numbers in Level 2, and provide more opportunities for lower graded dogs that still struggle to gain a start, or win any prize money for their Owners and Trainers.

Current data indicates that the mid-point of the active racing population is just over $2,000 APM resulting in meetings having an APM limit of $2,000 or $2,500 depending on the track.

So in essence, if your dog has an APM value of say $2,100, there are many greyhounds still yet to achieve this value.

Greyhounds Individual Aged Prize Money Value (March 2019)

APM

$0

<$1000

$1001-$1500

$1501-$2000

$2001-$2500

$2501+

Total

Count

146

604

308

300

251

1235

2844

47.7%

52.3%

Q) How long has APM been used for field selection?
The APM figure has been the tool used in the background for field selection at all Victorian race meetings since May 2014. Greyhounds are ordered by APM and allocated into certain races when more than one race is programmed in the same grade and distance. This figure has been published for several months now in the dogs form page to provide transparency of the selection process, and also educate Trainers in the lead up to dedicated APM meetings which were being built and tested, with the APM meeting being held at Geelong in May 2018.

Q) Why are high graded greyhounds that have not raced for a long period of time able to race at Level 3 APM meetings?
This is an incentive to return greyhounds back to the track after a long term injury, giving consideration to how long ago there previous wins and prizemoney were achieved.

Q) Why is my greyhound a reserve at a Bottom Up Meetings?
Bottom up meetings will select the lowest 10 greyhounds (based on APM values) nominated for a single race, the bottom 18 for 2 races and so on. As the scratching process applies – when a scratching is received, the next highest greyhound will be elevated to ensure they have a reasonable chance in that event.

Q) How is the Aged Prizemoney (APM) figure calculated?
The Aged Prizemoney figure is calculated based on the total number of prize money won at Australia greyhound racing meeting using the below formula. The figure decays over time and increases when greyhounds are successfully earning prizemoney.

Q) How can I plan my greyhounds racing schedule in advance if their APM is consistently changing?

As the APM value is the only point of selection, trainers should target those meetings where it is likely they will be best suited.

For example, if you have a greyhound with an APM of less than $1,000 – these are suited to the Bottom Up meetings. Likewise, a greyhound with an APM value of $1750, then these dogs are best suited to the $2,000 and $2,500 limit meetings.

Once a greyhound has won over the limits stated, then they will in turn be graded into Level 2 meetings with other ‘like APM dogs’.

Want more information on Aged Prize Money (APM) Meetings?
Chief Grader Andrew Mills went live on GRV’s Facebook to answer all things APM and Tier 3 racing.

Greyhound Racing VictoriaGreyhound Racing Victoria

Greyhound Racing Victoria

GRV regulates the sport of greyhound racing in the state of Victoria under the Racing Act 1958 (Act), which includes setting standards and ensuring they are met by participants.

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